Tuesday, 10 February 2009 | Start spreading the news

I'm currently in limbo, waiting for my old life to end and my new one to begin. It's strange, being in the middle of this brief period of overlap, and knowing that it's the point in my life that I will refer to in my future as When I Left New York, as well as When I Moved to L.A. Right now is the moment after I know what's coming, but before anything actually happens.

Neither of us ever meant to live in L.A., but Todd got a job we both agreed he couldn't pass up, a job writing for Conan O'Brien. When he told me the news, I was really excited for him, of course, and I briefly wondered if it'd be relatively easy to annul our marriage, since the ink is hardly dry and all. I ultimately reconsidered, though, because, man, I really like that guy. I even miss him when he's in the bathroom.

My aversion to the move has less to do with living in L.A. and more to do with leaving New York. So many of my friends live here, I finally feel established, and this is the first place I've lived where I've been completely content, and not at all anxious for what would come next. Not everyone who lives in New York feels so sure about it -- several people I know have confessed that while they like it here, it's clear it's going to be a short-term relationship. I, on the other hand, feel like this city is my keymaster. Even when I first visited at nine years old, I thought to myself, "I need to figure out how people live here."

I'm getting used to the idea, though, and I'm starting to get excited about the permanently pleasant weather, working in an office right on the beach (my organization has an office in Santa Monica), and trading my fire escape for a balcony, or maybe even a yard. We're also planning to drive across the country, just because it feels like that's how it's done when you move out west -- we get to make the transition a slower speed, and let our anticipation build as we get closer to our new home. The trick with me is if I treat something like an adventure, I'll think I'm enjoying myself. Anyway, nothing's permanent, and I like going new places. Also, I'm open to the idea that I'll actually like it there.

It's too early to look for an apartment (although I've already done that, thoroughly!), so for the moment, I'm mostly just trying to come to terms with my soon-to-be reconfigured life, appreciate the less obvious things I'll eventually miss, and see as many of my friends as possible before I go. We only have a few weeks left.